Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The ice-free and calm, free-flowing waters of the lower Wisconsin River (thanks, oddly,
to power plants) and notched sandstone bluffs for roosts have also given rise to a phoenix-
like reappearance of endangered bald eagles. Of the state's nearly 1,400 nesting pairs of
eagles, up to 10 percent are concentrated in the Sauk Prairie stretch of river.
Sights and Recreation
Januaryeagle-peeringcomesinPrairieduSac,whichhasaninformationkioskandviewing
scopes; Veterans Park, which has in-car-only viewing; a mile north of Prairie du Sac and
then onto Dam Road to the hydroelectric plant; and, if you're feeling ambitious, head out
Highway PF, where you might get a gander at eagles feeding on farmland flotsam.
Wollersheim Winery
(WIS 188, 608/643-6515,
www.wollersheim.com
,
10am-5pm
daily) has been producing wines since before the Civil War and now accounts for over half
of the wine produced in Wisconsin. The antebellum buildings, limestone aging caverns,
and vineyards are an official National Historic Site. The winery offers hourly tours
(10:15am-4:15pm, $5).
Northwest of Sauk Prairie approximately 10 miles is a day-use and seasonal state park
focused on the only natural bridge in Wisconsin,
Natural Bridge State Park.
Crags and
battlement outcroppings such as this are found throughout the state's Driftless Area. This
wind-erodedholeinasandstonepromontorymeasures25by35feetandisoneoftheoldest
sandstonenaturalfeaturesontheplanet.StratigraphicdatinghasalsorevealedPaleo-Indian
encampments as far back as 12,000 years—among the oldest sites in the Upper Midwest.
A couple of trails lead to a natural area. North of the park you'll find
Orchard Drive
(and
parts of Schara and Ruff Roads), one of Wisconsin's official Rustic Roads. This six-miler
serpentines through grand glacial topography and plenty of wildflowers. This is as off-the-
beaten path as it gets.
